One day, he had enough of my squabbling or whining. He carried me to my room, plopped me on the bed, and took my crutches away. I could just lay there and dread when my dad got home.

Later, my brother apologized. He said that he realized that taking my crutches was like taking my legs away. Even if I was a brat, that was just too mean.

The Mean Wheelchair

Today, if the wheelchair goes on the blink (literally) it is just like having my legs taken away. What if I am in the bathroom and can’t get out? Worse yet, what if I need to go to the restroom and can’t get there?

Since I am already on medication for bladder control, and I need to drink a lot to prevent dry mouth and dehydration, this is a BIG issue. I can’t just sit in my chair and wait for my son to get home.

Paranoia Sets In

Even though the chair has worked fine, since I gave it a good whack, I know it can decide to be mean at any time. I could be stranded anywhere. Thus, I have become a bit paranoid.

I am always checking to make sure my cell phone is charged. Plus, I am always constantly checking to make sure I have it with me, before I go anywhere in the chair. I use my girl pocket. (If you can’t guess what that is, you need to ask a girl.) Anyway, I figure it won’t fall out of my pocket, if I fall or lose what little transfer balance I have. Also, it doesn’t matter what I am wearing.

Well, I guess I may be a bit more paranoid than I thought. I was talking to my mother. I was already in the chair. I was getting ready to hang up, because I needed to use the restroom. I started to panic! I told my mother I couldn’t find my phone. What if I got stuck!

She gently reminded me that I was talking on it. She is still laughing!

Of course, nothing EVER breaks down, until you want or need to use it!

Today, I was getting ready to pick up my son at school. We were going grocery shopping, dumping them off at home, and going to a school board meeting. (We were invited because of his award-winning art.)

My teeth were brushed, hair combed, dog leashed (so he couldn’t follow me to the car), shoes on, purse in hand, and I was more than ready for a couple of hours of errands.

I flipped the switch on my used electric wheelchair, and the power light just kept winking at me. The chair won’t move, unless the light is steady.

It isn’t like this one. It is too old. It has a metal switch like turning on a light. You push it up for power, and push it down to shut off. It has gone bad before. A friend, who is an electrician, came to fix the switch a few months ago. He was hoping the jerry-rigged repair would last until I got my new chair.

So, I turned it off and on several times, to no avail. I pushed the switch to the sides and up, hoping it would catch and power up. Looking at the time, I knew I had to get to the school. He had stayed for outdoor archery, and there would be no more buses. But, here I was, stuck in my room.

So, I called my mom to go pick up her grandson. It was easier on her, and quicker, than driving over and lifting the manual wheelchair out of the trunk. I figured he could do the heavy lifting after he got home.

Meanwhile . . .

I was just frustrated! I still kept trying to get the switch to work, even though my mom was making sure the boy didn’t have to spend the night at school. I just refused to give up and resign myself to the manual chair for the next 6 weeks or so.

Obviously, toggling the switch was not working. Finally, I just gave it a good whack! After all, what did I have to lose? Oops! Now, the power light was bright red! I wonder what another whack would do. Double oops! Now, there was no light!

At this point, I was more frustrated, sad, and more than a bit mad at the chair. So, I gave it another whack. The green light came on and stayed on. I had power! It was too late; but, I could move.

In the Meantime . . .

Sadly, I can’t just leave the chair on. It will run the battery down. We tabled the grocery store; but, we did make it to the school board meeting. After we got home, my son went and got the electric chair, and the power came right on. He turned it off, turned it back on, and no problem whatsoever!

I still made him put the manual wheelchair in the house. If I get stuck again, at least it will be easier for my rescuer to bring me the manual chair. If worst comes to worse, I can always take an hour or two to scoot to the other chair and pull myself into it. Very Painful! So, I guess I will just make sure my cell is always charged and next to/on me, until my new wheelchair arrives.

I am sure the warnings on the coffee cups stem from a lawsuit against a fast food franchise. Someone spilled their coffee and had the audacity to sue because the coffee was hot. If you look around, there are warnings everywhere. Businesses don’t want to deal with frivolous lawsuits. So, anytime an issue arises a new warning appears.

Reading Warning

Anyone that knows me, knows I love to read. With my Kindle, I like to be read to, while I am cooking, cleaning, playing computer games, or even crocheting. I guess I feel more productive, when I am multitasking.

Usually, I search in mysteries and thrillers. I am not one for romances or how to books. Sometimes, I will read non-fiction, if a topic or person really intrigues me. But, most of the time, I just want entertained. I love books that grab my interest in the first few pages, and compel me to stay up all night, until I get to the end. (I can always take a nap after getting my son off to school.)

As a member of Amazon Prime, I get one free book per month. Even though I have plenty of free books, and some I have purchased, already loaded on my device, I love searching for that freebie.

Since I have been crocheting, or otherwise occupied, I almost forgot to read my freebie for last month; so, I read my 2 months worth of lending library novels back to back.

When selecting the first one, the synopsis on the back warned me, the reader, not to read the book at night. Of course, I took this advice with a grain of salt, so to speak. Sometimes, the back of the book will actually make it sound more exciting than it really is, so you will read it. After all, everyone wants to present the reader with a book that he/she will not want to put down.

Sometimes, the warning is because it might keep you awake at night, or cause you to jump when your house creaks or the furnace turns on. After all a good thriller is supposed to make you worry about the things that go bump in the night.

Again, I wasn’t too worried. After all, I am not a child anymore and prone to have those type of nightmares, etc. But, I must admit, it made the book sound interesting.

Last night, or should I say this morning, I stayed up until 3AM, because I had to see how it ended! It was definitely a page-turner. But, I was warned. Let’s just say that if you liked Silence of the Lambs you would probably like this book. It was a little too gross for my taste.
But, if you like that sort of thing, Plain Jane is for you.

Moving On

Not wanting to dwell on that particular thriller, I moved on to my next novel, Already Gone. In the first few pages, a man is accosted in a parking lot, and two men cut off his ring finger! Will I never learn? I have been warned!

The art gala features student art from the entire school district. Pieces are submitted from kindergarten to twelfth grade. It is amazing how talented some of the children are, and the scope of their imaginations.

Displayed are special pieces that will be part of a traveling art show for the next year, pieces that will be hung in the City Hall for the year, art that merited scholarships for some students, and art that won blue ribbons in the Wyoming Art Symposium. Here is my son’s chalk picture of one scene in 4 seasons that won his first blue ribbon.

But, for me, the best part of the evening was the art of music. The ninth grade jazz band played their music, while people sat and listened or milled around looking at displays and artistic demonstrations. They are a great group of kids that really enjoy their music and admire their instructor. It was fun for them, and it showed.

Thanks to the warmer weather, some Aleve, and a kind son who pushed me much of the time, I was able to enjoy the art and the concert.

Tonight was a blessing.

It was lovely outside today. It was also the day to try something I have never attempted, since I have been in a wheelchair.

It was time to take care of the doggie doey in the yard. My son does the litter box for the cats and lets my dog outside half the time. So, if I wanted to clean up the grass, it was time to venture out.

To avoid pitching out of the chair, like I did last Spring in the driveway, my boy helped fashion a makeshift seat belt, using a large strap for his Nerf gun, of all things.

I only got stuck once, even though the chair doesn’t back up well in the grass. I am sure I missed some; but, I got to most of the backyard, before my arm started hurting bad enough to encourage me to stop.

Since I was already secured in the chair, it was time to take the dog for a walk. We ventured down the hill, to the end of the block to visit my mother. Thank goodness I had the belt. My pal about pulled me all the way there. He LOVES to go see my mom!

On the way back, it was a different story. The power was cranked to full, and he was jogging at a good clip, to keep ahead of the chair. When I stopped to re-position myself, he decided to trot behind the chair.

The sunshine felt so good! Even the not-so-fun chore was okay, because the day was so nice. With the exercise, I think me and my furry companion will both sleep good tonight.